In 2019 an independent review carried out for the Government concluded that Selective Licensing is an effective tool for use by Local Authorities in dealing with private rented sector housing problems in their areas. But, and certainly in the current pandemic related financial situation, can partnership working be an improvement on the current way of working for Local Authorities that decide to use the Selective Licensing tool available to them?

The Supreme Court in the case of Trecarrell House Ltd v Rouncefield has rejected the tenant's appeal against the Court of Appeal's decision that where a landlord has previously obtained a gas safety certificate which is still in date when the tenant moves in but provides a copy to the tenant after the tenant has moved in.

The influential Public Accounts Committee which scrutinises government spending, value for money and efficiency has concluded that regulation of the private rented sector in England and Wales is not up to scratch.

The Debt advice charity Stepchange has said, in its January 2022 client insights report, (published in March) that two thirds of its new clients are renters with 35% in the private rented sector and 31% renting from a council or housing association.

Coventry city council has, for the first time, applied for a banning order against a landlord after a successful prosecution for failure to comply with HMO management regulations.

Whilst welcoming the Govt's "ambition" to improve the UK's long term energy security the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health says it is dismayed much needed energy efficiency measures have been excluded from the strategy in the context of spiralling living costs.

A Brighton landlord who had already been given permission in December 2021 to turn a 4 storey family home into a 5 bedroom HMO has been refused permission, on a subsequent planning application, to turn the living room into a 6th bedroom.

A landlord in Sheffield has settled a case against tenant rights campaign group ACORN and been awarded nearly £100K in damages and costs after suffering a campaign of harassment, intimidation and defamation by the group.

The Govt has published a very comprehensive factsheet outlining the protections for leaseholders included in the Building Safety bill which, when it comes into law, will see (post Grenfell tragedy) primary responsibility for remediation costs fall on building developers rather than residential leaseholders.

The Government's new right to rent code of practice comes into force from today. The code covers (amongst other things) who can occupy residential accommodation, what agreements come within the scheme and who can be liable for penalties.